Miss 20 asked me to blog about her recent surgery to repair her earlobes, as when she was looking for stories of other peoples’ experiences online, she came up empty.
So we have collaborated on this post so that she can share what it’s like to have earlobe repair surgery after wearing stretchers.
Perhaps you too have kids determined to put big holes in their ears wearing stretchers / spacers / plugs (or whatever you want to call them), and like me, you have worried what happens when they want to take them out …
MAM: When did you decide to stretch your ears?
Miss 20: I always thought they looked cool when I was in high school, but of course we weren’t allowed them. So I waited til after I finished school.
MAM: What size spacer did you get up to?
Miss 20: 22 millimetres diameter.
MAM: Is that big?!
Miss 20: Yep! They say you can only go to about 10mm without needing earlobe repair surgery, once you’ve taken them out.
MAM: How long did it take you to stretch them to that size?
Miss 20: About a year and a half.
MAM: So what changed? What made you decide to take them out?
Miss 20: I took them out for a job interview (for her current position as a legal secretary). I didn’t intentionally want to get rid of them; I just didn’t put them back in for a couple of days and by then the holes had already shrunk.
I’d given away all my smaller sized spacers to a friend, so I just left it, thinking my ears would go back to normal over time – except they didn’t. They did shrink a lot, but looked saggy and really horrible.
MAM: How long did you wait before you went for the earlobe repair?
Miss 20: About 4 or 5 months – I had to save up for the surgery.
MAM: How much did it cost?
Miss 20: It cost $1300 AUD to get both ears done, although I got about $400 back on Medicare. I went to the Cosmetic Surgery and Skin Cancer Centre at Brendale, an hour’s drive from home, for a few reasons – they didn’t insist that I come in for a separate pre-surgery consultation, the price was quite good, and they had a good reputation.
MAM: Talk me through the surgery. How long did it take?
Miss 20: Each ear took about half an hour; I was given a local anaesthetic to numb my ear, so I couldn’t really feel anything.
Before the surgery the doctor discussed my options – did I just want it stitched up, or did I want a piece taken out of the bottom to make my earlobe smaller? I chose the second option. The worst part was the smell – instead of cutting away the excess skin, the doctor cauterised it. The smell of burning flesh really made me feel ill!
MAM: What was the most painful part?
Miss 20: Definitely the drive home, as the anaesethic wore off. I took paracetamol for about ten days, but the first night I still couldn’t really sleep.
MAM: Did you need time off work?
When I was doing my research, most websites said I’d be fine to go back to work the next day.
However my doctor gave me a medical certificate so I didn’t need to go back the Wednesday (I had surgery on Friday). He was worried about risk of infection in the workplace while using phones. I wish I’d known beforehand though, as I hadn’t booked any leave (thinking I’d be back on the Monday) so I had heaps of stuff at work I probably should have done before I had the time off!
MAM: You had your earlobe repair just on 6 weeks ago. How is it now?
Miss 20: It still gets a bit sore occasionally if I sleep on it funny, but it’s healed up really well.
MAM: What sort of after care did the doctor suggest?
Miss 20: He said I should tape my ears up before a shower, and that I shouldn’t wash my hair for at least a couple of days. When I changed the dressing, I just used warm water on a cotton bud to clean the wound, it was so stingy and sore I couldn’t bear the thought of applying antiseptic – though I would have if it seemed infected at all.
After a week, I went back to have the stitches taken out.
MAM: What’s the question you get asked most about your earlobe repair?
Miss 20: People always want to know if I regret having stretched my ears, and I can honestly say, no, I don’t. I’m just in a job now where it’s not really appropriate, and I couldn’t be bothered going through all the hassle of stretching them again once they started to close. In fact my biggest regret is that I can never get them again! Although I can get my ears pierced again after a year has passed 🙂 .
MAM: Do you have any tips for others getting earlobe repair surgery?
Miss 20: Yes! Make sure you ask for cotton wool in your ears before the surgery, to muffle the sound. And make sure you have one of those travel pillows, they are great for when you want to sleep, as they don’t put pressure on your ears.
And finally, just between you and me, the Middle Aged Papa was so happy she got rid of her spacers, that we might have donated a bit towards the surgery … 😉
Have you – or your kids – had ear stretchers – or even earlobe repair surgery?!